Analysis Of Power Justified In The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was a unique politician, philosopher, and writer who lived in Florence, Italy during the European Renaissance period of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is most famously known for writing his ruthless handbook for rulers, The Prince, during his time in exile in 1513. This contentious piece of literature has been fondly referred to as “the guidebook for tyrants and totalitarians,” according to the documentary, Machiavelli: The Prince by director Jett Rink. However, the document has also been credited with positively paving the way for ethnic and religious toleration, individual rights, and modern democracies all throughout history; and it inevitably set the stage for future governments to come. In this way, it is

The political situation that prompted Machiavelli to write The Prince was that Italy wasn’t a unified country yet. It was a bunch of city states.

In this paper I will argue that Machiavelli's statement upon residing within newly acquired princedoms is culturally relevant within today's political system. I will prove this by drawing a comparison between Machiavelli's views on politics to Hillary Clinton's campaign for the senate in the year 2000.

“The state is the highest achievement of man, a progressive and elaborate creation of his free will. The individual, the leader, the people, cooperate in maintaining it.” This idea of state was put forth by Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince, which was in essence a ruler’s handbook to governing and maintaining his land. Machiavelli conjured his theories for government by basing his ideas in his belief that men, especially men in power, tend to follow the same directions, and therefore by looking at past leaders and their follies we can better determine how to run a state. “Men are always the same and are animated by the same passions that lead them fatally to the same decisions, acts, an results…. That one can foresee the course of

Niccolo Machiavelli, author of The Prince, was born in Italy in 1469 and raised in

Niccolò Machiavelli was an activist of analyzing power. He believed firmly in his theories and he wanted to persuade everyone else of them as well. To comment on the common relationship that was seen between moral goodness and legitimate authority of those who held power, Machiavelli said that authority and power were essentially coequal.9 He believed that whomever had power obtained the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power. This implied that the only genuine apprehension of the administrative power was the attainment and preservation of powers which indirectly guided the maintenance of the state. That, to him, should have been the objective of all leaders. Machiavelli believed that one should do whatever it took, during the given circumstance, to keep his people in favor of him and to maintain the state. Thus, all leaders should have both a sly fox and ravenous wolf inside of him prepared to release when necessary.10

¨Every prince ought to desire to be considered compassionate and not cruel.¨ Notice in this quote from Niccolo Machiavelli's ¨The Prince¨ the word ¨considered¨ is used, rather than something more firm or nothing at all. The point Machiavelli is making is that as a ruler, one must only look like a kind person rather than actually being one. Machiavelli expresses multiple times in his writing that when ruling, using fear is safe and easy to maintain while using love can be messy and full of expectations to uphold. To Machiavelli, the goal is for the ruler to show compassion while still keeping his fear factor, which will help him have an easier time maintaining power. That probably worked when a select few held all the power. In the modern world however, there are more rulers than just Machiavelli’s princes and in most cases it is better to show love rather than to incite fear because the power is now in the hands of the people.

A famous aristocrat named, Niccolo Machiavelli, wrote the book, “The Prince (1513), his most celebrated work, was a general treatise on the qualities the prince (that is, ruler) must have to maintain his power” Jacobus (84). Within this essay, he writes about the “Qualities of the Prince,” which is a guide for princes and future princes to follow, in order to be successful and keep their power. Machiavelli is very practical in his way of thinking, and doesn’t recommend princes to be good, on the contrary he suggests for them to be very practical. He states they should ensure power by direct and effective means. Modern politicians are likely to succeed by following most of Machiavelli’s recommendations. One

The Prince by Machiavelli The role of human nature in ruling a state… Niccolo Machiavelli was a philosopher on politics. He was from Florence Italy and lived during the Italian Renaissance from May of 1469 to 1527. The Renaissance is considered by many to be a rebirth of art that focuses on the Greco-Roman style and humanism. As well as ancient philosophy and literature.

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) is one of history’s most renowned political theorists. Truly a “Renaissance Man”, he excelled in many disciplines and was an avid scholar of the ancients, but his most enduring legacy has been his political theories, particularly those outlined in The Prince. Popular culture, however, has a skewed perception of Machiavelli’s own personal political ideals. Although Machiavelli’s The Prince discusses governance of a principality from the point of view of the prince, his longer work, The Discourses, extolls the virtues of republics and provides a detailed analysis of the republics of Ancient Italy compared to modern Italian republics and more closely

A Prince, who is the ruler of a state, faces many challenges in holding power. He is put to the test with the many choices made as a ruler. This includes choosing whether to be loved or feared, and choosing if the conquered shall be ruined. In addition, he must find a way to have the support of the people. In order to be a successful ruler, a prince has to have public order based on the rules of morality. On the other hand, in order to gain more power and keep power he has to break the same rules. This includes being ruthless, dishonest, and using people.

In life, it is important for us to have and abide by moral values that encourage us to be good people throughout our lives. In the New Testament and Machiavelli’s The Prince, both works express the moral values that one should live by. The New Testament expresses the morals of a Christian life, those you should follow to live a Godly life that has purpose. In The Prince, Machiavelli details a guide that one should use to gain and protect power when being a leader. These two works were written for different purposes, yet they agree on many aspects that would be considered to be good moral ideologies. The main difference is that Machiavelli is understanding in that, especially in a position of power, one cannot always act as the most

Niccolo Machiavelli’s political treatise “The Prince,” a gift given to the ruler of the Florentine Republic Lorenzo de Medici, explains Machiavelli’s beliefs on the most effective way for a ruler to conquer and keep his state. He supports his beliefs by using examples of the past and imagery. The most dominant theme’s he carries throughout the whole book is a ruler’s fortune and whether they should be loved or hated. He argues that fortune and the way a ruler is perceived can either be a good thing or a bad thing. To Machiavelli fortune, in the sense of chance, fate or luck, controls half of one's time ruling and the other half is through their ability.

Niccolò Machiavelli was brave enough to give the leaders of his day a how-to guide. In this work, The Qualities of a Prince, we are given a point-by-point description of what a leader should do to effectively lead his country. Machiavelli explains that, because leadership is (obviously) a position of command, "[war] is the only profession which benefits one who commands. " (p. 33)

Niccolo Machiavelli and Karl Marx developed theories concerning wealth and poverty in our society, as well as different types of governments. For instance, Machiavelli supported a capitalist economic system, unlike Marx, who embraced socialism in the society. Machiavelli wrote a book "The Prince" that explained how to be an effective leader. The theme of the book is "the end justifies the means." A person could or should do whatever is necessary to achieve the desired goal. According to Machiavelli, there is no concept of a perfect ruler, but only effective or ineffective leaders. Therefore, he claims that there are no fair fighters, but only losers and winners. Contrary, Marx embraced democracy as good practice for the government. This paper will analyze whether Marx would buy Machiavelli 's thought that states "desired ends justify undesirable means" (Weng 1).